Posts Tagged ‘disney family travel’

Everyone looks forward to their yearly family vacation, but sometimes you may get stuck in a rut, just visiting the same old destination every year. I’ve put together a list of a few places to go on a family vacation that you might consider for your next family trip.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, located in Tennessee and North Carolina. Mysterious and haunting, these mountains are home to many species of wildlife such as deer, wild turkeys, ruffed grouse, quail, and black bear to name a few.

When to visit? Well there really is no wrong time of year to visit this park. However, in the peak season of July and August you will find that traffic may be a bit slow. Keep in mind that winter temperatures can vary from moderately cold to extremely cold. There are many hiking trails for exploring and camping areas, and you can also bike, fish, ski, or go horseback riding. A truly beautiful place to visit.

Historic Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, site of the most famous battle of the Civil War, and of course where President Lincoln delivered a 2-minute speech, the famous Gettysburg Address. Summer months and weekends are peak times for this popular family travel destination. If you want to visit in the off-peak times, crowds should thin out after Labor Day. Explore the Gettysburg National Military Park and combine your visit with a trip to the Pennsylvania Dutch country.

Cape Cod, Massachusetts, a ruggedly beautiful coast with towns and farms dating from Colonial times. Many visitors to the Cape prefer to enjoy one of the many delightful bed-and-breakfast hotels. You will want to visit Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Cape Cod National Seashore, and perhaps the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History. Dining is wonderful if you like seafood, as you will find a wide variety of fresh fish and shellfish.

San Francisco, California, is one of my favorite cities. Bordered by the Pacific Ocean, the Golden Gate Strait, and San Francisco Bay, this city is actually only about 46 square miles but wow is it packed with sights.

If you are wondering when to visit, you can’t go wrong weather-wise, as the climate is quite lovely year round. What to see here? Oh so much! The cable cars cannot be missed,the Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown, Alcatraz, Fisherman’s Wharf, Nob Hill, Sausalito, Union Square, and just too many amazing areas of this city to name. It’s a great city to explore by walking, and a an absolutely wonderful place to do some people watching. Photo opportunities abound.

Orlando, Florida, home to Disney World of course. There is also Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Sea World, and many water parks to enjoy. There is also a lot more to Orlando besides the theme parks including numerous lakes, springs, museums, and historical areas. Depending on when you visit, you may find an art or craft festival going on.

These places should give you ideas of destinations for your next family vacation and help you in planning your next great family trip.

A family all inclusive vacations are a great investment because you may need a couch or new carpet but the furniture or the carpet will wear out; but the memories made on a family vacation will last a life time and only grow better with age.

Now where you take your pre-teens may depend on what you want to do or what they like to do.

In my opinion, here are a few of the top 10 family vacations.

Hawaii, go here for your family vacation to enjoy beautiful white sand beaches, towering waterfalls, whales, dolphins, volcanoes and more activities than I could possibly mention.

Washington DC, this family vacation would be educational as your kids would see so much history their head would spin. But if you get your kids involved in researching the different

Museums and historical sights, let them choose which ones they want to visit, you will be surprised how excited they will get about what they are going to see.

Costa Rica, this is one of my favorite family vacation destinations for those that like adventure and nature. Costa Rican’s are so friendly and proud, they want share their beautiful country with you.

While drifting down a river you will see trees full of howling monkeys, toucans and other colorful birds, crocodiles and lizard like creatures that seem to walk on water. On this family vacations you can

Visit frog farms at night and zip through the tree tops during the day or simply relax at the beach.

Gulf Shores Alabama State Park, if you want to stay in the US , this is a wonderful family vacation. It has gorgeous beaches, fishing, skiing, nature hikes, golf and swimming, just to name a few of the things to do.

Colorado Springs area, also a great family vacation spot in the US . Here you can white water raft, horseback ride, go to a cowboy dinner, pan for gold, rock climb; and the list goes on.

Disney, this is a given. But don’t forget about Disney in California . It is smaller, but there are so many other things to do in the area that it is a fantastic trip for a best family holidays.

Cruises, kids love cruises because they have special activities on board for the different age groups and they make friends and before the cruise is over they will want to have sleep-overs.

Dude Ranches, Texas , Colorado , Wyoming are a few states that have Dude Ranches. These are about the closest thing in the US to an ‘all-inclusive’ family vacation. Here you can go on trail rides, tube float down a river, watch and sometime participate in a good old fashion rodeo. And most all meals and activities are included in the price. Activities that are included vary.

Riviera Maya, Mexico, this area has some of the most beautiful beaches in Mexico and amazing all-inclusive resorts. Choose the right resort and your kids will never lack for something to do. They can go snorkeling, build sand castles, sail on a sunfish, slide on huge water park slides and all of this is included in the price along with all meals and drinks.

Smuggler’s Notch, VT, Located in beautiful mountains, while on this family vacation your family can spend time together mountain biking, fishing, swimming, canoeing, skateboarding, painting, making jewelry, playing golf or just being quiet and enjoying the scenery around you.

Here’s hoping all this will help you in planning top family vacations and a family all inclusive vacations.

Family travel guides and family travel tips are especially useful when travelling with children of any age.

When we as adults think back to our childhoods we usually don’t remember the things we owned or the clothes we were wearing. What we remember is the time we spent with our loved ones. So when you are travelling with your kids you are creating memories that will last them a lifetime.

The importance of planning your perfect family holiday in advance

Travelling with your family is a quality time like no other, even if there are some unavoidable “ups and downs” along the way. However the better you prepare in advance, the more you should enjoy your family holiday.

Planning a family holiday with children of any age is different from planning a holiday for adults only. Children have different needs and ability, depending on their age and development. When planning your perfect family holiday, the most important thing is to keep the needs and ability of all family members in mind.

What is the best age to travel with children?

There is no one best age to travel with children. Each age group offers different delights and challenges.

Many parents feel the best time to travel with young children is when they are babies. Healthy infants tend to be very adaptable, as long as properly fed and are clean and comfy.

Travelling with toddler is considered by many parents the most demanding time to travel with a child. It can still be enjoyable experience, you just need to prepare accordingly and don’t forget to pack your patience – and lot of it.

Many parents consider travelling with school age children not only easiest but also the most enjoyable. School age children show more interest in their surroundings and are old enough to remember the trip.

There is though no reason why travelling with teenagers isn’t as enjoyable as travelling with school age children. Teenagers can be excellent travel companions as they are mentally and physically as fit as their parents, if not fitter.

Well prepared family holiday should help you to enjoy travelling with your kids – no matter what age they are.

Travel tips that are valid for all children

Babies, toddlers, school age children and teenagers have very different travel needs. However there are some valuable family travel guides and tips that are valid no matter what age your child is.

Air travel with children or long car journeys are usually challenging as most children don’t like confined spaces for too long. Make sure you provide age appropriate entertainment for your child while travelling. There are many excellent travel games for children available now-a-days, but the good old imagination is also a valuable travel companion and can be the source of many fun travel games for children.

Make sure you bring more snack and drinks than you ever imagined you would need. Hungry and thirsty children tend to be irritated travelers.

Make sure you travel destination offers age appropriate activities for your child. No matter how old, or young, your child is… children are sociable creatures and love to make new friends.

It’s also important that you too enjoy spending time with you children on your holiday. Family travel guides recommend you to look for activities that you and your child can enjoy doing together. It can be taking an afternoon nap with your baby, building sand castle on the beach with your toddler, going on a rollercoaster ride with your school age child or go shopping with your teenager. Doing something together is a great bonding experience and good fun for all involved.

Your children’s health and safety should always be your top priority when travelling. Be careful though not to go overboard in this respect. Most people travel with children without experiencing any problems, being overly obsessed with health and safety could easily spoil your otherwise lovely family holiday. Use your common sense, take all necessary safety measures and be alert at all times.

Children are more prone to some minor accidents than adults so don’t forget to make sure you have comprehensive travel insurance for children in place. Having good travel insurance for children will give you valuable peace of mind.

The best family travel guides and tips are tough about how we behave on our holiday. Family holidays should be fun. When you see your child eyes glaze over you know it’s time to change the plans. Leave the schedule flexible enough for that. Always allow time for letting of some steam (e.g. playing sport or just running around), as well as time for relaxing (e.g. by the pool or reading a book). Loosen the rules a little bit, just make sure they know it’s a privilege and because you are on a holiday.

Most families with children visit Florida during the summer months, when school is out – and the Sunshine State bakes in heat and humidity. So before starting off on a day of touring or a visit to the beach, parents should keep some things in mind.If you are uncertain, try offering a few suggestions to the rest of the family and have everyone vote. This way everyone gets a chance to voice their opinion and cast their vote about where the family will spend their vacation.There are a few popular family vacation destinations but with a little creativity you may be able to find the perfect travel destination for you and your family.

Camping trips are one example of a great family vacation. Whether you opt to camp at a nearby location or travel cross country to a national park of your choice you may find that choosing just one of the many beautiful locations available to be your most difficult decision. With so many gorgeous national parks as well as breathtaking smaller wooded areas to choose from, finding the right place for your camping trip can be difficult. Many popular destinations limit the number of campers per season and it can be very competitive to obtain one of these permits. In some places, permits sell out within hours of when they go on sale. Many potential campers are aware of the date that permits begin being sold and anxiously await this time to snatch up prime camping spots in their preferred location.

Tours of famous museums are also excellent ideas for family vacations. Even young children can appreciate distinguished works of are on their own level. They may not be capable of understanding the intended meaning of the art or of interpreting the symbolism behind the piece but they can certainly form their own opinions about what they like and what they don’t like. If you visit an art museum during your vacation take the opportunity to ask young children what they think about certain pieces of artwork. This will encourage them to think for themselves and learn to formulate their own opinions.

Beach vacations are also family friendly ideas. Building sand castles, participating in beach games, snorkeling, boogie boarding and swimming are just a few of the activities that families can enjoy together on their beach vacation. The ocean can be a dangerous place for young children if parents are not careful about supervising them. Although the beach is a fun destination it is important to remember that you should remain vigilant to ensure that young children do not enter the water alone where they could be at risk of drowning. Exercising proper precautions can help to make your beach vacation enjoyable.

Memories that last a lifetime are often created on family vacations. There are so many options available for families who wish to travel. Camping trips, museums and beaches are just a small sample of the popular family vacation locations available.

Are you trying to plan a summer vacation with your family but finding it hard? Are you ready to throw in the towel? Family holidays are a time for your family to forget about work and school and enjoy time together. There are a number of reasons why families decide to skip a summer holiday.

Many families decide not to go because of cost. True, many families save for years to go on a dream vacation but a holiday doesn’t have to break the bank. Think of other options that are either close to home or save on expenses. A trip to a nearby amusement park can be a fun and exciting time for the whole family. If you combine it with an overnight stay at a hotel with a pool then it will really feel like you’re away from home and on vacation.

Also consider a camping trip; it gives the family a chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life and enjoy quiet time and fresh air. If sleeping bags and tents are not your idea of a good time then consider the inexpensive rustic family accommodations that many parks provide. Even a quick overnight trip to the great outdoors can give your family the relaxation they need.

You don’t have to travel very far to have an enjoyable time with the family. Think about playing tourist in your own city and take a day to enjoy museums and parks. Again, consider staying overnight in a hotel; it will give the kids a chance to play at the pool while you relax and have some quiet time away from home.

Scheduling can be a headache and is another reason why families decide to forgo a summer vacation. If both you and your spouse are working it can be hard to match up schedules so try to plan as far in advance as possible. If it just isn’t possible then consider splitting up; one parent can take the kids on a short trip and then the other parent. It’s not ideal since the entire family won’t be together but it’s better than not taking a vacation at all.

The benefits of taking a family holiday definitely outweighs the cost and hassles. With today’s demanding schedules, both parents and children feel the pressure of school and work and a break from it will relax and refresh. A family outing can also provide for quality time as a family; it may be one of the few opportunities to be together.

Taking a summer vacation as a family will be a fun and rewarding experience. It requires planning and preparation but will be well worth the cost and effort.